First off.... let me be perfectly clear.  I think charity auctions are a good thing.  My company has donated approximately $10,000 in good merchandise in 2005 alone.  Purchasing ANYTHING from a charity is a good way to get an item you want, and help a good cause.  We are simply advising to use the same questions as if you were purchasing anywhere else.

This guide is to help dispel a common notion in the collector's mind.  Just because you purchased a piece from a charity, it does not mean it is a good autograph.  Many collectors assume the charity would get the autographs directly from the athletes.  This is simply not true most of the time.  You still need to do all the checking as if you purchased it from a store or online.

Most charities have little or no knowledge of the autograph industry.  They are happy to take donations of something and then use that donation to raise money for their cause.  The problem does not lie with the charity, but with the person making the donation.

There are dealers out there that will acquire a forged autograph.  Once they realize it is questionable, they will then donate it to a charity to get the tax write off.  They have now protected their business reputation by not selling a questionable piece, come off looking like a good guy to the charity and then get to write off the retail value of the piece. 

Think about it his way.  A dealer can purchase an unsigned 8x10 for about $2.  They can donate it to a charity with a bad autograph and get a tax write off for $100-$200.  At a 30% tax bracket, they are reducing thier tax to the government by $30-$60 for each picture. 

For example, Dan Marino is exclusive with Mounted Memories (MM).  That means he will not sign autographs for other companies.  I know of one charity that has received several pieces of donated Marino autographs, all with the same "JOE BLOW" COA.  I seriously doubt that Joe Blow would have been able to offer Dan Marino enough money to break his contract with MM and sign multiple pieces.

DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND... I know of SEVERAL CHARITIES THAT ACTUALLY HAVE SIGNINGS AND SELL THE PIECES.  This guide is to help dispel the notion that just because a charity sells it, that the autograph has to be legit.  You still need to ask the important questions.

Prior to purchasing any piece, you need to ask the same questions that are listed in our AVOID FRAUD guides.  If the piece comes with a COA from the charity, make sure they saw it signed.  If it comes with a COA from an outside source, make sure you treat it just like if you were purchasing it from a local store or on Ebay.  Please click on the below link for our most poplular "AVOID FRAUD" guide:

AVOID FRAUD

I am writing this guide because of the numerous inquiries I get from my AVOID FRAUD GUIDES.  A majority of the questions concern pieces that were purchased from charities and the consumer is therefore assuming that it has to be real.

Want to help spread the word? The more people that select the "yes" button for this guide being helpful, the higher up on the 'Guide List' it gets, thus getting more exposure for eBayers to read and learn. It is our goal to reduce the amount of forged autographs sold in the industry.  Is this possible?  Perhaps not, but the more people we educate about this scam, the more money they save, and the less forgeries are apt to be on the market.